Cranberry Mousse

The next thing I did with some of those amazing cranberries- is make some cranberry sauce.  Which was later translated into cranberry mousse. 

White chocolate is usually added to this but I did not have any and really just wanted to make the mousse without running out to the store.  I made it with just the whipped cream.  Me and my daughter were none the wiser.  Smooth and delicious.  Not too sweet.  Love it.

Cranberry Mousse
This is the recipe I was going to use but then omitted the white chocolate.

Cranberry sauce
2 cup sugar
3 cups cranberries
1/2 cup water
juice of one lemon

Combine all in a saucepan and cook until cranberries have "popped" and are soft.  Puree in a blender.  Chill.

1 cup cranberry puree, chilled
1 cup heavy cream, whipped until peaks form.

Fold the puree into the heavy cream, gently.  Spoon into containers and chill. Serve cold.  Will stay "set" for a day or two.  Cranberries have natural pectin which will keep them set.

Tropical Cake

At first I was going to name this cake "mistake cake".  It was a lesson in structure.  In the end, though, the taste did an over ride and said, we can not name this mistake cake.  Maybe Leaning Tower of Pisa cake but definitely not a mistake.

I saw Bo Friburg's recipe for chiffon cake and thought it would make a nice light feeling to go with the mousse. A coconut white chocolate ganache on top with a sprinkling of candied pineapple. It all seemed good in my head.

If I had cut it into squares rather than bar like pieces I think it would have fared a bit better.

Really and truly this cake is worth making.  If you want a sturdier structure go with a jaconde or a dacquoise. If you want light cake with seemingly light mousse, go with this recipe. Just cut it into squares instead.

Passion Fruit Mousse

1 package Goya passion fruit pulp or approximately 2 cups of pulp
1 can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups heavy cream

Combine passionfruit and evaporated milk in a large mixing bowl.  In a small microwave safe bowl combine water and gelatin and let sit until the gelatin is absorbed.  Heat in microwave for about 35 seconds until gelatin is melted.  Pour into passionfruit mixture, making sure that it is fully incorporated. Refrigerate.

In a medium sized bowl whip heavy cream until frothy, adding sugar slowly.  Continue to whip until peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into passionfruit mixture.  Let mixture chill until it is fully set. Preferably overnight.

White Chiffon Cake
adapted from Bo Friberg's book, The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef

2/3 cup vegetable oil
8 egg yolks
1 cup water at room temp
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
14 ounces cake flour
14 ounces sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 egg whites

Line a two jelly roll pans  with parchment, grease the paper but not the sides of the pan.

In a large bowl whisk the vegetable oil and egg yolks together just until combined.  Add the water and the vanilla extract.

In a small bowl combine flour, one third of the sugar, baking powder and salt.  Stir this into the egg yolk mixture, whip at high speed one minute.  Set aside.

Whip egg whites until foamy and add the remainder of the sugar slowly as you continue to whip until stiff peaks form.  Divide batter between pans and smooth out top.

Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Allow cakes to cool before removing from their pans.


White Chocolate Coconut Glaze

14 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon coconut oil

In a double boiler combine white chocolate, coconut oil and cream, stirring until all the white chocolate has dissolved.  Let cool slightly and pour over cake with a spoon to diffuse the liquid as it hits the cake.

*Sprinkle with chopped candied pineapple.

Chocolate and Mango do the Tango

I had these yummy shots of mango and chocolate at my friends get together a couple weeks ago.  I love them so much I recreated it for another get together that I had at my house.  I just took the idea and applied it to mousse.  Its not one of those flavor combinations that you say oh, my favorite.  Its not a usual pairing but I think after you would try it you might think it should become a more usual pairing.  Of course fruit and chocolate is not new.

Thank you for all the well wishes over the past couple days.   It warms my heart to know how many lovely, caring people there are in the world.  I think foodies are a special breed of caring people.  I have my blog enabled so that every comment comes into my inbox.  They are most often the first emails I read.  I am like a little kid getting presents.  Your comments are very much appreciated by me and I want to thank you.

Mango Chocolate Tango Mousse Parfaits


milk chocolate mousse:

1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream, cold
1/2 stick ( 2 ounces) butter
1 egg yolk
6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

In a double boiler combine chocolate, butter and milk.  Keep stirring until a smooth consistency is reached. Remove from heat and let cool.  When mixture is cooled to luke warm, whisk in egg yolk. Set aside.

In a cold bowl beat cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form.  Fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream.  Pour into parfait glasses and chill.

mango mousse:

1 cups whipping cream, cold
2 teaspoons gelatin
2 tablespoons water
1 cups mango puree
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

In a small bowl combine cold water and gelatin.  Stir to combine, let sit for about 2 minutes.  Heat in microwave for about 30 seconds.  Remove from microwave and cool. Combine gelatin mixture and confectioners sugar with mango puree.

Whip the heavy cream until peaks form.  Fold in mango mixture.  Spoon over chocolate in parfait glasses.  Chill and serve.  Garnish with chocolate or mangoes or ... both!

Last year at this time I made Sweet Maple Almond Drop Scones

Two years ago Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Muffins

Daring Bakers: Cannoli

Cannoli? Oh, yeah. This was something I have been wanting to do for so many years but probably would have never done it on my own. I hate the whole frying thing. But then yah know, it was Daring Baker challenge and it was Lisa Michelle (an amazing cook and pastry girl!) and I just had to participate. Ah, twist my arm- I am so on this.

Truth be told I am not a cannoli loving girl in the slightest. Mostly because I am not big on ricotta or even pastry cream. But lo and behold I have discovered that some mousse with mascarpone is an amazing filling for a homemade cannoli. And when you make it yourself the shells are so crisp. Not to mention that a little Marsala in the dough makes one fine tasting shell. Yum!

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.
The set up for cannoli production.

Lidisano’s Cannoli
Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli
Prep time: Dough – 2 hours and 10-20 minutes, including resting time, and depending on whether you do it by hand or machine.
Filling – 5-10 minutes plus chilling time (about 2 hours or more)
Frying – 1-2 minutes per cannoli
Assemble – 20–30 minutes

CANNOLI SHELLS
2 cups (250 grams/16 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners' sugar

Note - If you want a chocolate cannoli dough, substitute a few tablespoons of the flour (about 25%) with a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) and a little more wine until you have a workable dough (Thanks to Audax).

CANNOLI FILLING
2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice
2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange
3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios

Note - If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

Pasta Machine method:
1. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Pass the dough through the machine repeatedly, until you reach the highest or second highest setting. The dough should be about 4 inches wide and thin enough to see your hand through

2. Continue rolling out the remaining dough. If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.

3, Roll, cut out and fry the cannoli shells as according to the directions above.

For stacked cannoli:
1. Heat 2-inches of oil in a saucepan or deep sauté pan, to 350-375°F (176 - 190 °C).

2. Cut out desired shapes with cutters or a sharp knife. Deep fry until golden brown and blistered on each side, about 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from oil with wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, then place on paper towels or bags until dry and grease free. If they balloon up in the hot oil, dock them lightly prior to frying. Place on cooling rack until ready to stack with filling.

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:
1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.

2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate, zest and nuts. Chill until firm.(The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:
1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.

2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.



Pomegranate Mascarpone Mousse
I had some frosting and filling left over from my cake for my Mother's birthday. I folded one into the other and came out with the best tasting filling.

the filling:

16 ounces mascarpone
4 tablespoons POM syrup*
2 tablespoons PAMA (pomegranate liquor)
1 cup confectioners sugar
the seeds of one vanilla bean

Whip all ingredients together until throughly combined.

the frosting:

2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup sugar

In a small bowl combine gelatin with cold water and let sit for a mement. Then heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to disolve it. Remove and let cool to room temp.

In a cold metal bowl whip the cream until it forms bubbles, sprinkle in sugar and add pomegranate syrup. When the mixture is just about to form stiff peaks add in the gelatin all at once. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

*Pomegranate syrup: combine 2 cups POM juice with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar. Boil and reduce to half

Spiced Peach Compote with Apple Cider Mousse

I was emptying out my fridge the other day and whew, found some coconut milk that I had forgotten about. That was the stinkiest smell that I think I have ever smelled, except for when I worked in the hospital and caught a whiff of rotting flesh (gangrene). Sorry so graphic, but man, I am here to tell you- never let your coconut milk go bad!

So anyway I did find some spiced peach compote in there. Hmmm. And I found some cider caramel. Now you might be asking yourself why I have some cider caramel in my fridge and exactly what is cider caramel. Well, it was an experiment gone bad. I had some cider that was getting close to the fermenting stage- it hadnt started yet but it was close. I boiled it down on the stove, it reduced and reduced until it was very thick. I started with sweet cider and ended up with very tart cider caramel. Who knew I should have added sugar. Well I didnt and now next time I make it I know. And make it I will if not just for the fact that I can make some of this tastey mousse again.

So there it is a story of an experiment that brought about something tastey.

Spiced Peach Compote
scaled down a bit

4 peaches, chopped or 2 cups frozen
1/2 cup sugar (give or take depending on how sweet your peaches are)
1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 clove or 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook down until peaches have nearly dissolved away and the mixture has thickened a bit. If you find that your mixture is thin, in a small cup combine a 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water. Combine and stir into peach mixture.

Apple Cider Mousse

3 tablespoons carmelized cider (or caramel would be a great subsitute)
3 ounces cream cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl combine caramel, cream cheese and sugar. Whip until light.
In a seperate bowl combine whipping cream, sugar and vanilla. Mix until mixture is thick and forms stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the caramel mixture.

Chocolate Mousse and Coconut Dacquoise with Raspberries

Mousse is my latest obsession. I go through phases of discovery with all these new things. The first obsession was French macarons- I made quite a few of those. Then it was buttercream- especially Dorie's recipe. Now it's mousse. I was never really into mousse before because the amount of fat in it. But now I am finding, just a little bit of mousse can hit the spot. Especially with some fresh fruit. Besides there are mousses made with other things besides heavy cream which I am sure you will be seeing here on my blog soon.

I made this cake for my Dad and my husband for Father's Day. It was so wonderful after the entree we had... you will see that in a few days. It was deceptively light.

I started out with Dorie's coconut dacquoise:

1 cup (65g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (60g) slivered almonds
1/2 cup (75g) plus 1 1/2 cups (175g) confectioners (icing) sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
8 large egg whites (240g) at room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Put the coconut, almonds, 2/3 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and the cornstarch in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, then beat until the meringue is thick and glossy and holds firm peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, very gently fold in the coconut mixture. Spoon one third of the meringue (about 2 1/2) onto each outlined rectangle. Using a long metal icing spatula, spread the meringue into the meringue into smooth, even layers.

Bake the meringues for 3 hours, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 1 1/2 hours. The meringues should be golden and crisp to the touch. Let cool completely on the baking sheets on racks.

Then I made a mousse (Tartelette's recipe) to go between the layers with the raspberries:

6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (62.5ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 stick (55gr) butter
1 egg yolk
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream, cold

In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or a bain marie, melt together the chocolate, milk, espresso powder and butter. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm. Whisk in the egg yolk. In a mixer, whip the cream to medium peaks and fold it into the chocolate mixture.
*you can put the mixer bowl in the fridge to cool it down as well, so that when you add the cream it will help the whipping process.

Raspberry Hazelnut Torte for a Birthday Cake

Today I was driving in my car listening to some great songs on the radio. And that lovely feeling hit me. The feeling that you are one with everything around you. Total peace and tranquility overtakes your psyche and bathes you in this warmth. Of course, I did not have my children with me. (So much easier without the kids). One was at school and the other at my Mom's. These feelings, at least for me, are not possible with screaming children in the car. If the feeling does hit you are usually too busy listening to them sing or fight or something. What made it extra special today was that it was my birthday! How nice of a gift was that!

I even had a lovely treat of meeting my husband at his work and having a little picnic by the river and a nice leisurely stroll along the path. It was truly a beautiful day! A fantastic birthday.

And you know you are a foodie when... you make your own birthday cake. I thought and thought about this cake. Some components I borrowed from the DB July challenge with the praline paste. Other components I made myself. My piping wasn't perfect because my tip kept getting clogged with praline bits. Next time I will process it much longer.

So you know you made a good cake when your super picky brother says this tastes like it came from a bakery. This is the guy that drove to NYC last Thanksgiving for a Juniors Cheesecake (he use to live in NYC). How nice was that complement?

Swiss Buttercream4 lg. egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
2 tablespoons amaretto
2/3 cup praline paste

Place the egg whites in a large bowl of a electric mixer and whisk in the sugar. Place over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk and heat the egg white mixture until it is hot to the touch. Remove from pan and with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. Drop in the butter a half of a stick at a time. It may seem curdled for a period of time when beating but keep beating and it will smooth out. Add the amaretto and the praline.

Praline Paste1 cup (4 ½ oz.) cashews, toasted/skinless
2/3 cup sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter. Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble. Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cool dry place. Do not refrigerate.


The cake was a recipe for dacquoise from Gourmet magazine, which was the whole inspiration for this cake in the first place.

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line three 9-inch diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides with parchment. Butter and flour parchment. Combine nuts, flour, 1/4 cup sugar, coffee crystals and salt in processor. Blend until nuts are finely ground.

Using electric mixer, beat yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl until very thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in water and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold into yolk mixture in 3 additions.

Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out; peel off parchment.


Raspberry Mousse

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup of raspberries, run through a sieve to remove the seeds
1/4 cup raspberry jelly (no seeds)

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in jelly and strained raspberries.